28 March 2024

Zaum – Oracles

Releasedate: 13-06-2014; Label: I Hate
By: Sabine van Gameren

Zaum is a Canadian band making Psychedelic Doom metal. The band is quite young, formed in 2013 and now coming with their very first release.

Psychedelic Doom often lays quite heavy on the stomach, but when Zaum comes in you will find some enlightenment in that. Don’t think that those deep Doom elements are not there but with a nice addition of lighter tones , some intriguing vocals the band knows how to spice it up quite well.
Inspired by the Middle East it is not that much of a wonder where those edges came from and while the stories told are quite intriguing, it does not hit the mark if they were not in combination with the instruments which drag you in completely.
What is remarkable is that the album actually has only four tracks, but when you are listening to it you will discover various parts within a song which sometimes give the idea they are separate tracks. Not all transitions are too subtle as it seems, but are rather direct and hard . Not that it breaks down to the story too much, but perhaps a bit confusing.

Overall “Oracles” is a remarkable release. It is not one you hear every day and the band knows how to bring out the theme quite well without going into the obvious ways. The album makes you hungry to see the band live and luckily a tour is planned in autumn where we all have our chances to see how this comes alive.

Line up:
Kyle Alexander McDonald – Bass, Sitar textures, Synthesizer, Vocals
Christopher Lewis – Drums

Zaum – Oracles Tracklist:
01. Zealot
02. The Red Sea
03. Peasant of Parthia
04. Omen

Links:
Zaum Facebook